Our annual Chili Cook-Off on January 24th brought out five entries (actually six, but Mike came after the vote). After resorting back to a tried-and-true method of voting for your favorite chili, the winner was Laurel! Charles came in second and George finished in third place. This is Laurel's third win; while George came up short (5 wins) of tying Charles (6 wins). 
Since we haven't seen Jeff's family for a while, this was our first chance to meet both Lily and Ben. Lily is a very sweet little girl and of course, Ben is adorable. Both Dylan and Zach have really grown and matured. Kids seem to do that!
The little kids (and some of the big ones) enjoyed the jacuzzi tub as well as the lodge swimming pool before they had to close it when someone became ill. I won't go into that any further.
We, of course, had to have a game or two (or 15) of euchre. Some people ,who shall remain nameless, sat in the same spot for hours. Not sure of the outcome of the games, but I'm sure there will be a rematch in the future.
The kids all seemed to have a good time and this time no policeman came to the door. Allie M., Allie T. and Kelsie now have a secret handshake, but if you ask they'll be glad to show it to you. The boys all had fun running around and doing things that boys do.
Of course, we had plenty to eat with everybody bringing something. Not as many desserts this year, but we took care of them in pretty short order. Yes, this is a time when you can just eat all day long. There's lots of food on the table and plenty of chili in the crockpots!
We always enjoy the day with family members -- good food and good fellowship --with just a little heartburn thrown in for good measure. Next year's date is January 23rd. We'll see you then.
